By Andrew Ganz

Friday, Jun 15th, 2012 @ 9:49 am

A sign of the times? Dallas-based convenience giant 7-Eleven says that it is reducing the size of its Double Gulp soft drink cups from 64 to 50 ounces in response to consumer demand for something that better fits vehicle cup holders.

For years, automakers proudly advertised that their cup holders could hold 7-Eleven's various Big Gulp, Super Big Gulp and Double Gulp drinks, but a general move away from larger SUVs into crossovers and cars has reduced console and dashboard real estate for cup holders. As a result, most cars don't offer quite the same level of multi-adjustable cup holders they once did.

7-Eleven says that its plan to shrink Double Gulps to 50 ounces - still a volume greater than four cans - has nothing to do with New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to trim soft drink consumption. Bloomberg has vowed to curb soft drinks sold at restaurants, movie theaters and street vendors to a maximum cup size of 16 ounces, although the measure would not affect convenience stores like 7-Eleven.

"It was a request for something that was a little more car-friendly,"ť 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris told The Daily in an article picked up by Jalopnik.

The convenience store chain, which has been aggressively expanding over the last few years, estimates that it sells nearly 38 million gallons (enough to top off 50 Olympic-size swimming pools) of soft drink fountain beverages annually across the globe. Given that most 7-Elevens in the United States are still visited by motorists, the company emphasized the importance of making sure its beverages fit into vehicle cup holders.

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